Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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592. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the median and average time taken between the submission of a strategic housing development application and a final determination by An Bord Pleanála, for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63581/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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An Coimisiún Pleanála is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2024, the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) and certain other Acts.

The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 and the Planning and Development (Strategic Housing Development) Regulations 2017 provided that planning applications for strategic housing developments (SHD) could be made directly to An Bord Pleanála, now An Coimisiún Pleanála.

The strategic housing development application process to which the Question refers has now been replaced by the large-scale residential development process. Of the large-scale residential development applications submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála this year, 100% have been decided on within the agreed timeframe. 68 cases have been received, 62 have been decided, and the average weeks for a decision was around 12 weeks as of the end of October 2025.

My Department does not hold information in relation to the specific request submitted in relation to time between submission and a final determination regarding strategic housing development applications.

Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for An Coimisiún Pleanála in this regard is Oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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593. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department has assessed the cumulative impact of judicial reviews on the delivery of major housing or infrastructure projects; and if reforms are being considered to reduce systemic delay while preserving the right to appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63582/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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624. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of housing projects delayed due to environmental assessments, Natura requirements, or related approvals; and the steps being taken to ensure timely completion of these assessments while meeting statutory obligations. [63890/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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679. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of housing projects delayed due to climate-related regulatory requirements, including flood-risk assessments and environmental impact processes; and the actions planned to reduce these delays. [63957/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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681. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the projected cost of climate-adaptation measures required to protect new housing developments in urban areas, including Cork city and surrounding flood-prone zones; and how these costs were factored into the strategy's delivery projections. [63959/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 593, 624, 679 and 681 together.

The Planning and Development Act 2024 represents the largest update to Irish planning legislation in a quarter century. The new Act, which was underpinned by a detailed review and advice of the Office of the Attorney General as well as extensive engagement with stakeholders and other relevant Government Departments, contains key reforms aimed at improving confidence, clarity and consistency within the planning system. These changes, once fully implemented across the planning system will in turn enhance delivery of key infrastructure, such as housing and renewable energy, whilst maintaining Ireland's commitment and compliance to European and international obligations relating to climate and access to justice.

The new Act contains considerable and impactful reforms to planning judicial review, addressing particular matters such as time limits for commencing proceedings, legal standing to take such proceedings and various procedural rules relating to such proceedings as well as facilitating the introduction of a scale of costs, which will reduce the high costs associated with judicial review for all parties.

Statutory timelines for all consenting processes, including for the first time for An Coimisiún Pleanála will bring increased certainty to planning consent processes, with headline time periods for An Coimisiún Pleanála ranging from 18 weeks for appeals of decisions of planning authorities on smaller-scale development proposals, to 48 weeks for larger-scale Strategic Infrastructure Developments. A new Ministerial Action Plan on Resources for Planning is well underway, working to ensure An Coimisiún Pleanála and all planning authorities are appropriately equipped to meet these new statutory requirements.

New provisions in the Act, such as Government approved National Planning Statements, which will in time replace current s.28 Ministerial Guidelines, will ensure greater consistency across all tiers of planning whilst requirements for environmental assessment have been made clearer for all consenting processes.

It is of course entirely appropriate that planning authorities, when considering applications for housing and infrastructure development, take due account of environmental considerations such as flood risks and Natura and equivalent requirements.

With regards to specific projects in Cork or elsewhere, under Section 30 of the Act of 2000 the Minister shall not exercise any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or the Commission is or may be concerned. Consideration of individual planning cases is a matter for the relevant planning authority and is a matter in which the Minister has no Statutory function. Responsibility for climate adaptation is the responsibility of the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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594. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the total number of judicial reviews lodged against planning decisions, in each of the past ten years, including success rates and average duration to conclusion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63583/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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An Coimisiún Pleanála is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2024, the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) and certain other Acts.

My Department has been briefed that, as of October 2025, 127 judicial reviews had been lodged against 117 Commission decisions in 2025. The information sought relating to the number of judicial reviews lodged against planning decisions over the past ten years, including success rates and average duration to conclusion, is not held by my Department.

Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for An Coimisiún Pleanála in this regard is Oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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595. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the specific measures being taken to streamline the planning and appeals process, in light of the ongoing housing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63584/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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My Department has overseen considerable legislative and structural reform of the Irish planning system over the past two years.

The National Planning Framework (NPF) has been reviewed to reflect Ireland’s housing and infrastructure goals associated with a growing population and economy, and provides the planning system with a strategic plan to shape the future growth and development of our Country to 2040.

In addition, the Planning and Development Act 2024 (the Act) represents the most significant update of planning legislation in a quarter century and contains many impactful reforms.

The Act introduces statutory time periods for decision making for An Coimisiún Pleanála (An Coimisiún) for the first time. Increased resource allocation to An Coimisiún Pleanála has reduced the number of cases on hand from 3,638 in May 2023 to 1,386 cases in October 2025, which is a 62% decrease. In terms of processing timelines, all large Scale Residential Development applications (100 units or more) have met their statutory objective period target of 16 weeks, since September 2024.

The new Act also contains important reforms in relation to Judicial Review (JR):-

• removing the requirement to apply for leave to apply for JR, which reduces time and removes unnecessary legal costs to all parties.
• requires that an application for JR may only be made on the grounds of challenge raised by the applicant in the statement of grounds filed with their application.
• provides that an applicant for JR will not be permitted to plead a ground in JR proceedings unless they have a sufficient interest in the matter to which the ground relates.